Cage for roller bearings



Aug. 21, 1945.- J. B. BAKER 2,383,233

CAGE FOR ROLLER BEARINGS Filed Oct. 11, 1944 Patented Aug. 21, 1 945 CAGE FOR ROLLER BEARINGS John B. Baker, Canton, Ohioassignor to The V Timken Roller Bearing Company, Canton, Ohio,

Application October 11, 1944, Serial No. 558,136

' 6 Claims. (01; 30s 21s) Myinvention relates to cages for roller bearingaparticularly tapered roller bearings. It has fo -its principal object 'a resilient cagewith separate; spaced but interconnected pocket members forthe individual rol1ers, the rollers, being closely confined insaid pockets and angular movement of the rollers'being accommodated by movement of the pocket members with therollers instead of by movement of the rollers in the pocket members. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinaften. i L

The invention consistsjprincipallyin a cage madeof a strip or'strips of 'resilient wire bent around the several rollers of the bearing so as to closely confine each roller in a separate pocket member, adjacent pocket members being spaced apart but connected together, whereby individual movement of a pocket member is permitted to accommodate angular movement of its rollers. The invention furtheroonsists in the cage for roller bearings and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of ipart hereinafter described and claimed. t t r In the accompanying drawing, wherein like 1 reference charaotersindicate like parts wherever theyoccur. I

Fig.1 is a partial end view of the large end of a ribbed cone tapered roller bearing having a cage embodying my invention, 1 l

. Fig. Zis a-partiabend view of the small end of sucha bearing, l

- Fig. 3 is apartial longitudinal sectional view,

Fig. 415 a developmental view of a portion of said cageon an enlarged scale,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view. on the line 5-5 in Fig.4, Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 in Fig.4, i 1 a Fig. 7. is a sectional view on the line 1-1 in Fig. 4,

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section View similar to Fig. 3, showing a cage of myinvention applied to a ribbedcup tapered roller bearing; and

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectionviewshowing a cage of my invention appliedto a straight or cylindrical type of roller bearing. t Figs. lfto 7illustrate a common type of tapered roller bearing comprising a cone I or innerbearing member having a thrust rib 2 at the largerend of its conical bearing surface and a retaining rib 3 at the smaller end thereof, a cup 4 or outer bearing member having a conical raceway 5 and tapered rollers 6 interposed therebetween. Fig. 8

illustrates a ribbed cup tapered roller bearing comprising a. cone la, a cup 4a having a thrust indicated at M.

rib 2b-and tapered roller 6 therebetween. Fig. 9 illustrates a common typeof straight roller bearingcomprising an inner bearing member lb having ribs 21), an outer bearing member 4b and cylindrical rollers 6b therebetween.

My invention is in a. new type of cage, indicated generally by A for securing therollers in assembled relation with respect'to-one of said bearing members, the bearing cone in the construction shown in Figs. l to 7. Saidfigures illustrate a bearing having an uneven number ofrollers 6 and a cage A madefrom a single strip of resilient wire bent around the rollers to form pocket sections in whichthe rollers are closely confined.

tion or strip 1 0 extending acrosstl'ielarge end of a roller in engagement therewith; a strip H extending across the small end of a roller in engagement therewith, side members or bridges l2 extending along-portions ofthe sides of the roller inengagement therewith and cross-over portions l3 extending from one cagesection to the other.

sides and ends.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7, the bearing has an odd number of rollers and the cage A is made of a single piece of wire. The bridges I2 extend from the large end strip ID of one cagepocket along a portion of the length of the roller 6 and then along the side of an adjacent rollerto the small end strip ll "of the adja- The r011ers6 are-thus closely held along their 'cent pocket,the two portions ofeach bridgebeing connected by an angular cross-over portion l3, said cross-over being crimped to interfit with each other and, preferablybeing Welded together, as

- The forming of the cage is begun: at a crossover and ends at the same cross-over, the free ends 15 of the .wire strip: being welded to the cross-overas at l6. In the case of a bearing having an even number of rollers, it'will be: necessary to use two' separate stripsleavi'ng fourpnds to bewelded together.

In the ribbed cone bearing shown inxFigs. 1 to '7, the cage A is disposed radially outwardly of the center lines of the rollers 6 so as to hold thev rollers in assembly on said cone. In the ribbed'cup construction shown in Fig. 8, the cage is disposed radially inwardly of the center lines of the rollers B to hold the rollers in engagement with the cup 4a. In both of these constructions,

the cage is of generally conical form, as required Each individual pocket section comprises a porcontact along their side edges, or are spaced apart. I

Fig. 9 shows a straight rollerbearing in which the cage is disposed radially outwardly of the center line of the rollers to hold them on the tion required in the case of'cages having solid. The pocket.

end rings and connecting bridges. sections closely engage the rollers and thus as' sist'the guiding action of the thrust rib on the rollers and minimize the tendency of the rollers to move angularly out of position as they leave the loaded zone of the bearing. Necessary angular or other movement of arr-individual roller with reference to other rollers is accommodated than by the usual method of movement of the individual roller in an oversize pocket.

, Obviously the material of the cage may be selected to give the degree of resilience and yieldability required in any particular case and the wire or other material may be of circular, oval, square, oblong, or any other desired cross-sectional shape.- Obviously, numerous other changes may be made without departing from the invention and I do not wish tobe limited to the precise construction shown.

What I claim is:

l. A cage for a roller bearing comprising a resilient strip shaped to formseparate but interconnected sections constituting individual roller pockets, each section comprising end members each forming one end of a roller pocketand side or bridge members, each of said bridge members having a portion extending along a portion of a side, of one roller pocket, a cross-over portion and a portion extending along a portion of one side of an adjacent roller pocket, whereby said sections are spaced apart to accommodate movement of individual rollers and are restored or bridge members, each of said bridge members having a portion extending along a portion of a side of one roller pocket, a cross-over portion extending from said pocket to an adjacent pocket and a portion extending along a portion of one side of said adjacent roller. pocket, the cross-.

over portions of adjacent bridges being secured together, whereby said sections are spaced apart to accommodate movement of individual rollers and are restored to normal position by the resilience of the cage.

3. A cage for a roller bearing comprising a resilient strip shaped to form separate but interconnected sections constituting individual roller pockets, each section comprising end members each forming one end of a roller pocket and side or bridge members, each or said bridge members having a portion extending along a portion of a side of one roller pocket, across-over portion extending from said pocket to an adjacent pocket and a portion extending along a portion of one side of said adjacent roller pocket, the crossover portions of adjacent bridges being welded together, whereby said sections are spaced apart to accommodate movement of individual rollers and are restored to normal position by the re- .silience of the cage. 1

4. A cage for a roller bearing comprising a resilientstrip .shaped to form separate but interor bridge members, each of saidbridge'members by movement of a portion of the cage itself rather having a portion extending' along a portion of a side of one roller pocket, a cross-over portion anda portion extending alonga portion of one sidgof an adjacent roller pocket, said end members 1 and bridge 'members closely confining the individual rollers, said cross-over portions being welded together, whereby said sections are spaced apart to accommodate movement of individual rollers and are stored to normal position by the resilience of the cage. i

5. A cage for a taper roller bearing comprising a resilient strip shaped to form separate but interconnected sections constituting individual roller pockets, each section comprising end members each forming one end of a roller pocket and side or bridge members, each of ,said bridge members having a portion extending from an end member at thesmaller end of- ;a roller .pocket along a portion of a side-of one roller pocket, a cross-over portion and a portion extending along a portion of one side of an adjacent roller pocket to the end member at the larger end of said adjacent roller pocket, whereby said sections arev spaced apart to accommodate movement of individual rollersand are restored to normalpositionby theresilience of the cage.

6. A cage for a taperroller bearingicomprisin a resilient strip shaped to form separate but interconnected sections constituting" individual roller pflckets; each section com-prising end members each formingwoneend of .a'brollerqpocket and side or bridge members; each of saidbrid'ge members having a portion extending-"fromian end member at the smaller end of a roller pocket along a portion of a side of, onerollerpocket, a cross-over portion and a portion extending along aportion of one side of an adjacent roller pocket to the end member at the larger end of said adjacent roller pocket, said; cross-over portions tion by the resilience of the cage.i

JOHN. B; BAKER. 

